Rhiannon with Mari Llwyd - Hand cast statue

Rhiannon is beautifully portrayed in her 'Triple Goddess' aspect of Maiden, Mother (Pregnant White Mare) and Crone (Mari Lwyd). She is hand finished in antique white and stands almost 12" tall on a base approx. 8" by 12", a magnificent and imposing statue!

Individually hand cast by the artist who created this sculpture, each one of these statues is lovingly finished with painstaking attention detail by Joe Laudati himself.

Rhiannon, Celtic Goddess of Inspiration

A Welsh goddess who’s name means “Divine Queen” of the fairies.

Rhiannon chose the mortal Prince Pwyll as her future husband. Rhiannon appeared to Pwyll one afternoon while he stood with his companions on a great grass-covered mound, Gorsedd Arberth, in the deep forest surrounding his castle. These mounds were thought to be magical places, perhaps covering the entrance to the otherworld beneath the earth. It was thought that those who stood upon them would become enchanted, so most people avoided them.

So it is no surprise that the young prince was enchanted by the vision of the beautiful young goddess Rhiannon, who was dressed in glittering gold as she ambled by on her powerful white horse. Rhiannon rode by without sparing him even a glance. Pwyll was intrigued and enraptured. The next day, ignoring his friends’ advice, Pwyll returned alone to the mound and, once more, the Celtic goddess appeared. Mounted on his horse, Pwyll pursued her but could not overtake her. Although his horse ran even faster than Rhiannon's, the distance between them always remained the same. Finally, after his horse began to tremble with exhaustion, he stopped and called out for her to wait. And Rhiannon did.

When Pwyll drew close she teased him gently, telling him that it would have been much kinder to his horse had he simply called out instead of chasing her.... But that's just the beginning of her story.

The Celtic goddess Rhiannon reminds us of the healing power of humor, tears, and forgiveness. The goddess Rhiannon is a goddess of movement and change who remains steadfast, comforting us in times of crisis and of loss.

The Mari Lwyd – Rhiannon in her guise as the Pregnant Mare and the Snow Queen of Winter.

Mari Lwyd (Grey Mare / Holy Mary) was the name most generally applied in Wales to the horse-figure formerly carried from door to door by wassail-singing groups during the Christmas season. This figure (which is, of course, represented in other countries) seems to have been once known all over southern Wales but during the present century relatively little has been seen of it outside of Glamorgan, where it is not yet completely extinct.

The attendant ritual began with the singing of traditional stanzas by the Mari Lwyd group at the door, soliciting both permission to sing and entry into the house, and issuing a challenge to a versifying contest.

Next followed the pwnco, the debate conducted to the same music in a combination of traditional and impromptu stanzas) between a member of the group and an opponent within the house. This usually amounted to heavy leg-pulling in which the contestants mocked each other's singing, drunkenness, etc.

Victory in the debate would ensure admission into the house for the Mari Lwyd group, to partake of cakes and ale and perhaps collect a money gift as well. In at least some cases, after the end of the debate, the group would sing additional stanzas introducing its individual members and finally, after entertaining the occupants of the house, it would deliver a farewell song.

You can learn more about this tradition by watching the video (link below) which also features a beautiful song, to the Mari Llwyd, by Chris Wood.

Shipping for this item is more expensive than normal as the statue is large, heavy and quite fragile. Accordingly special packaging and handling is required.